We're Back
by Wishing-for-a-Zoro-plushie
Summary: OPU Genfic. Based on the latest chapters of the Manga. Strawhats having a good old fashioned party time! Just a general little one-shot. Enjoy! I really suck at summaries these days.


_A/N:_ _So... I AM alive, just been busy and whatevs. Insert many different lame excuses here. (coughwriter'sblockcough) But OP latest manga chapters inspired this little ficlet. It's not much, I can't gurantee it's IC and it's just some good old fashioned crew stuff but I hope you like it!  
_

_PS: My writing is rusty as all hell, so please be kind :( It's been forever since I've written something and then I'm attempting it with characters who have new spins on themselves. _

_**Pairing: Gen (but if you tilt your head it can be considered ZoLuZo in a way. Mainly it's just strong friendship between Sanji and Zoro and Zoro and Luffy :) )  
Rating: T (for swearingzez)**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own OP and never will claim to. **_

_**We're Back**_

_**by Plushie**_

The sounds of a very happy crew partying away on their own ship drifted across the sea and faded into the distance without interrupting anything except perhaps a few schools of fish. Laughter and the loud voices of 9 distinctive pirates laced among the music happily blaring from Brook's guitar. Nami's loud giggles could be heard as she drank and told Robin of her adventures on the weather sky island. Luffy's goofy laughter twined with her voice as he pointed at Usopp and Chopper's weird interpretive dances.

Sanji was bustling about and cooking up a storm for the crew, occasionally kicking Luffy over the head when the brat made a grab for whatever it was he was carrying. The kicks lacked any conviction though, he too having missed his crew more than anything. Zoro was the quietest one of the lot but no less involved in the party, his vision split now but no less taking in anything that was going on around him.

This crew, he would protect it and fight for it just as much as he had back so long ago with Kuma. His gaze drifted to where Luffy was now clapping his hands and cheering at Brook who had just taken a bow to finish his performance. He wouldn't change anything... even Luffy's experience with the world government. He felt like he'd almost let the kid down though, not being there for him when he most needed it. Luffy sure could've used the help back there... and moral support.

Usopp grabbed Chopper by his tiny hooves and spun him around a little as Brook began another jazzy song and Luffy hopped down from his perch atop a pile of barrels to join in, bouncing around with them and looking like a string bean on hyperactive pills. Zoro couldn't help the small upwards turn at the corner of his lips and it wasn't missed either, Sanji having been walking past at that moment.

"Oooh, so you CAN smile!" The chef bent to leer in Zoro's face and the swordsman glared at him.

"Shut it, 7." he commented, closing his eye and taking another drink of his sake. Mihawk hadn't had hardly anything to drink at that cold freakin' castle and he'd really been missing the alcohol, but his training had kept him sufficiently distracted. Now though, it was nice to just sit with his crew and know that this was all there was for this moment in time. He could just relax here, didn't have to answer to anyone and didn't have to train for just one moment. He loved the training, but the moments where he could just relax were just as good and essential to his well-being. Sanji glared at him.

"How long you gonna keep that shit up, marimo-bastard?" he snarled and reached a foot out to prod Zoro's forehead. The swordsman snorted and shrugged.

"As long as I'm the FIRST person back to the ship and you're the SEVENTH."

"It doesn't matter about the damn order!" Sanji growled.

"Sure. Okay. ... 7." Zoro's lips quirked into the tiniest smirk behind his mug, small enough that it could be easily missed.

"Oh shut up, idiot!"

"Your eyebrow's backwards." the swordsman stated bluntly, raising one of his own, "Backwards magic."

"Yes it i- ... backwards magic?" Sanji spat, stomping a foot in rage, "Why the hell did you come back, asshole?"

"To annoy you, of course." Zoro shrugged, his gaze locking with the blonde's and for a moment, there passed an understanding between them. Pausing, the chef couldn't respond to such a blunt answer that had such a nice undertone to it. Not that either of them would admit it, of course.

"I-" Sanji began before snorting, "Whatever, marimo." With that said, he wandered off to go and coo over his ladies once again. Franky was doing his trademark dance in the corner, pushing his new, larger fists into the air and enjoying this immensely. A party was a party after all and one with all of his pirate family was one that was just too good to be missed. Luffy hopped back onto his perch and looked over to where he could see Zoro sitting by the railings and when the swordsman's gaze was clearly on him, the rubber boy lifted a hand high in greeting, waving it happily.

Zoro snorted softly and tipped his mug in a response before closing his eye again and just enjoying the atmosphere around him peacefully. Chuckling, the captain looked over to Nami and repeated the action, grinning like an idiot when she repeated the motion. The novelty of being back with her friends just hadn't worn off yet, so she was still feeling very hug-y and happy about everything and everyone.

"GUYS!" Luffy bellowed when Brook's next song finished and there was a silence across the ship aside from their excited voices, "We're back." The crew, as one, raised their mugs to him and as one, shouted an 'AYE!'. Even Zoro shouted along with them, caught up in the emotion itself of returning to a ship filled with so many friends and memories.

They partied long into the night until the adventures of the day took their toll, and steadily, the crew began to dissipate. Robin and Nami were the first to go, heading back to the girl's cabin to talk. Chopper and Usopp wandered off next, both of them tired out from their constant dancing. Franky headed down to his workshop, claiming he had some plans he was going to work on before he headed to bed. Brook decided he wanted to rest his bones and headed off to the boy's cabin where a few minutes later there was a shout from Usopp and Chopper to greet the skeleton.

Luffy hopped from his perch and looked over to where Zoro was still leaning against the railing, his head tilted back as he watched the sky above him and decided that he wouldn't mind just having a quiet moment with his first mate. Sanji watched the two of them from his kitchen door, peering at them for a moment before smiling a little to himself and heading in to do the washing up before going to bed.

"Idiots..." he muttered, rubbing a hand idly over his face and ignoring the stinging of his eyes. He'd missed everyone here, and the moment when Zoro had come up from the water, quite alive and in one piece, it had all just begun with that one happy moment. Then he'd seen his swans and how pretty they had become now.

Nami had nearly driven his heart into overdrive when he'd seen her, especially when she'd given him a hug later on. Oh well. Usopp had changed so much that the blonde wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The new build of the man's body was amazing and he couldn't believe that the long nosed idiot who he'd met all the way back at Baratie, had finally grown into a man. He was very interested in seeing how his friend would go on the battlefield now.

"Hiya... mind if I sit here?" Luffy asked, grinning down at the green haired man. Zoro's eye shifted to look at him before he shrugged a little.

"It's a free world. Sort of." he responded, turning his gaze back to the sky. Chuckling, the captain sat down on the deck, crossing his legs and then tilting his head back.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Sky."

"Mou... is there something up there?"

"More sky." Zoro responded and Luffy pouted heavily, eyebrow raising slightly at that response.

"Fine, be that way then." The two sat in silence for a while before Zoro yawned a little and closed his eye.

"You've gotten way stronger, ne? It'd be nice to spar again sometime..." he commented, his low voice holding a quietness that came with his new personality. Luffy blinked and looked over at him before chuckling and nodding, agreeing wholeheartedly to that comment.

"You've gotten heaps stronger too... and a new scar! How'd you do that? Can you see out of it?" As if to emphasize his question, he waved a hand across Zoro's face.

"Magic." Zoro shrugged, smirking when Luffy jabbed a bony elbow into his ribs, "I'm not blind, you idiot. I can't see out of it, no, but doesn't make me any less accurate or able to perform my duties as a member of your crew."

"... I know." Luffy grinned, "Zoro's just as awesome and your hair's gotten fluffier too!" Raising a hand, the captain brushed his fingers through the longer strands of hair, fiddling with it idly and Zoro rolled his eyes slightly, raising a sharp eyebrow at the brat beside him.

"I don't think that hardly matters, do you? Your hair's gotten just as shaggy, Captain." Luffy grinned and ruffled his own hair before placing the straw hat firmly back on his head. It felt odd, but good, to have that hat back in it's proper place again. They sat in a comfortable silence for a long time before Luffy shifted slightly and bowed his head a little.

"I didn't doubt Zoro would survive..." he began and Zoro's gaze shifted to watch him, "But... when that bear guy made you disappear... and after that light beam guy nearly killed you..." Shifting his legs a little and crossing them at the ankle, Zoro shrugged carefully. It wasn't unusual for Luffy to do this, share his concerns about the crew with him. After all, Zoro had been there from the very beginning and knew how the kid worked and would never judge him on hardly anything. His loyalty was unrivalled.

"He took the rest away... one by one..." Luffy continued, bringing his knees up and resting his arms across them, fiddling with the grass on the deck of Sunny, "Until they were all gone. Then he disappeared me too. I couldn't save you guys, I couldn't stop him, I couldn't... save Ace." Zoro listened silently, not saying a word until he was sure the kid was done. The sorrow in his Captain's voice was hard to be missed but at the same time, there was a strength and determination in it that made the swordsman sure that Luffy wasn't done talking yet, and he was hardly going to interrupt him at a time like this.

"I was sad. I'd lost everything, or I thought I had. Then I remembered you guys, that you were still out there, waiting for the time when we could get back together. Waiting for me... each other... and I knew it was time to move on." Luffy continued, his brow furrowing a little, "Rayleigh's idea was pretty cool, ne?"

"Mhm..." Zoro nodded idly, not saying anything more than that so the other could continue his confiding and moment.

"I was scared, Zoro. For losing you guys and when Ace died, when I started thinking about you guys again... I wondered what had happened to you. When you were sent away, you were..." Trailing off, the Captain fell silent and Zoro just continued staring at the sky.

"It turned out for the best, Luffy..." the swordsman finally spoke after a long time and he sighed softly and drew a knee up, resting his arm across it and looking over at the younger man, "We're stronger now, ne? We can protect them when we need to, like they can protect us... and we work as a team."

"We learnt how to be strong individually and now we need to train to be strong together again... ne, Zoro?" Luffy asked and looked at his friend with a small grin. He really had missed this guy...

"Exactly." Zoro nodded and then got to his feet, brushing himself off for a moment before reaching down and gently tapping the brat's hat back a bit so he could ruffle the dark hair again, "Sleep well, Captain. As you put it before, we're back. So don't stress, ne? It all happened for a reason." Pushing his hands into his pockets, Zoro sauntered off towards the men's cabins and Luffy watched him go, a bright smile on his face. He sat for a while before pulling the rim of his straw hat down, grin going wider by the second as silent tears began to run down his face.

He had them back... all of them. They were safe, they were strong, they were awesome and he couldn't wait to hit their next adventure. When the sound of Luffy's gigantic whooping laughter echoed across the ship, all the rest of the crew could do, was smile and add in their own laughter to the chaos. It was good to be home again.

-end-

_A/N: Annnnnd there we go. It might be full of mistakes, it's hot off the presses so don't expect it to be perfect and all. I'm looking forward to trying to get into these new guys' heads, and to seeing their new strengths and everything. Gonna be .ome. Obviously, I don't know what's gonna come up in the manga, so, this might not even be plausible but who cares? Really? I'm gonna stop rambling and go sleep now. _


End file.
